The Food Taster

Ugo DiFonte is the duke's food taster: the duke loves Ugo's daughter, the daughter loves the cook, and Ugo alone can save them all, though any bite could be his last.

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When Ugo DiFonte, a starving peasant, and his beautiful daughter Miranda are snatched from their farm by the despot Duke Federico, Ugo thinks life can't get any worse. He's wrong. The duke orders Ugo to be his new food taster, a hazardous job made even more so by the Duke's many enemies - including the cook - but it's not just the food that's dangerous. Miranda's beauty brings perils of its own as she attracts the attention of the Duke himself. Ugo realizes he must find a way to protect Miranda, the toast of Corsoli, from all those who desire her: his master, her lover, and perhaps most sinisterly his lascivious brother. Set in the perilous kitchens of a sixteenth-century Italian palace, The Food Taster is a witty and dark fairytale in the best tradition of the Brothers Grimm.

'Brilliantly done... Buy it.' -- Daily Mail

'Hugely endearing...a sparkling tale of love, intrigue and dodgy food. I enjoyed every minute of it... Peter Elbling begins where [Patrick] Suskind left off. He has produced a delicious novel which should tickle the dullest palate' -- David Robson, Sunday Telegraph

'Delicious historical intrigue.' -- Mail on Sunday